Cream
by Imyoshi
Summary: After learning of Weiss Schnee's weakness to sweets, most notoriously cake, Jaune Arc learned the path to a woman's heart was through her sweet tooth. He set out to bake her cakes, spoiling the heiress in a landslide of sweets. Meanwhile, Ruby Rose fumed at her partner's refusal to share her food. Was that a strawberry-creamed, chocolate-chip cake? Now her partner was going to pay!


**Disclaimer:** I own nothing of RWBY.

* * *

 **Cream**

 **By: Imyoshi**

Jaune Arc was a man possessed.

Why was it so difficult for Weiss Schnee to give him a chance? A date was all he was asking for, nothing else. He tried everything that his father recommended, but singing and acting confident failed him at both times. What did an Arc have to do to warm a Snow Angel's heart?

Not even his comfort food could wipe away his frown, but it did help ease the pain. Quick spoonfuls of mash potatoes and gravy reminded him so much of home. His seven sisters and parents must be worried about him? He did leave home without leaving a note.

Maybe he should give them a call?

Throwing in the towel, Jaune relaxed on the table, alone for dinner. He wouldn't be, but it had all been part of his plan to surprise Weiss with a romantic dinner for two. It didn't work. Now, he had nothing but a second tray filled with pasta and a burning candle to keep him company.

Enjoying his meal, he wavered his eyes around the Mess Hall, instantly spotting that tuff of white hair from across the hall. A thin smile graced her lips as she stood in front of the dessert section. Weiss practically acted childish in front of the displays of cakes and sweets. It was one of those innocent quirks she possessed.

He watched her pick up a slice of cake to only drop it into the trash bin after nibbling a small bite. Weiss went for a second, smile remaining strong, but that effort ended up the same. All attempts truthfully mirrored her first reaction. None of the cake, or sweets for that matter, interested her and she walked past them with a sad sigh that only he noticed.

Interested, he walked over to the stand of sweets, wondering why Weiss didn't seem to enjoy any of them. From where he was standing, they all looked delicious, definitely smelled good. And if food taught him anything, it was that smelling good and looking good regularly meant delicious.

Jaune plucked a cupcake from the tray, wondering why so many were still left out in the open after such a busy lunch. A small lick of the frosting forced his tongue still. Before he settled his thoughts, he grabbed another and then a slice of cake, finding them all lacking in that one key ingredient. What that ingredient was he couldn't put his tongue on it, but it was sadly scarce and left a void in his taste buds.

He ignored the rest of the treats displayed, knowing full well it was a waste to test them. Without much thought, it was clear that Beacon Academy didn't have a delicious array of sweets at their disposal. Not that they were bad per se, they were good enough but only good and nothing more.

Sadly, when it came to good enough in the Sweets Department, enough was terrible. Good was essentially bland. No one enjoyed that flavor. Mouth-watering was the desired flavor people actively enjoyed.

Not this good enough stuff.

The Arc knew he could whip up something better than this. While his sisters remained daddy's girls, him, sadly enough, became a momma's boy. That was half the reason he never learned to fight. His mother practically spoiled him whenever she got the chance, and momma Arc had many opportunities.

Great! Now he remembered all the summer days spent in the kitchen with his mother, cooking up foods and desserts for their family. He remembered the spatula to the nose, her warm smile and the advice she gave him after shooing away her husband from the kitchen. Whatever his father said about picking up girls, she would quickly chastise him and give her son different advice to win over a girl's heart.

 _The way to a woman's heart is through her sweet tooth._

Jaune paused, picking up a cupcake with interest. "Her sweet tooth, huh?"

Maybe it was high time he ripped a page out of her mother's playbook? His father's advice assuredly failed, confidence and serenade ultimately fell through. But his mother's advice he never tried. Besides dancing, cooking was a past time of his, and it was time he indulged himself again.

What'd he have to lose?

Sighing confidently to himself, he entered Beacon's kitchens, reaching for a nearby apron. The other chefs regarded the Arc wordlessly, wondering what he wanted now after creating that treasure for his date. Without uttering a word, he quickly washed his hands and grabbed a bowl and a few eggs from the fridge, reaching for a whisk. From his saddened look, the date had failed, but that didn't appear to stop him from pulling out the milk from the fridge and a bag of flour with a grim desire for determination.

The chefs all grinned when he cracked his eggs perfectly.

Ah! Now the lad was learning!

...

Dinner was something of a downing experience for Weiss Schnee.

She believed in three-square meals a day. Food was essential for a growing Heiress. However, ever since stepping foot into Beacon, she found her sweet tooth lacking in stimulation. Not to spit on Beacon's quality of food, their sweets were okay, but being away from home made her long for her Cake Butler.

The chefs here couldn't compare with his food. She always saved room for dessert, hoping they proved her wrong. So far Weiss went to bed with a partially filled stomach. So it was safe to assume that today's sweets weren't going to make her mouth water, but she believed in giving honest chances.

Anything for sweets!

Weiss finished her meal and quickly discarded her dinner and strolled over to the display of desserts, tempted by the samples laid out. The cupcakes appeared appetizing, but looks could be deceiving. A simple taste test would reveal their true deliciousness. Without thinking, she swiped one off the counter, taking a quick whiff of her treat.

It looked good and smelled heavenly. That was two out of the three boxes needed to be deemed perfect. Now, for the most important one, did it taste yummy?

Weiss slowly placed the cupcake on the edge of her mouth and cautiously bit down. Her eyes grew when an explosion of flavor intoxicated her mouth in a sea of sugar and butter. Like an enemy, she was overtaken and fell to the onslaught of memorizing vanilla and sprinkles.

When she finally swallowed the godsend morsel, a delightful shiver traveled up her spine. A satisfied sigh escaped her lips with her heart crying and stomach singing. It was undignified for an Heiress to behave in such a manner, expressing such unguarded emotion and whatnot, but she hardly cared.

For the first time since waltzing into Beacon, her sweet tooth was happy.

Weiss ate her fill, devouring the remaining cupcake at a modest pace. She reached for another, finding the next just as good, if not better with the added chocolate dip. After sampling a third, the girl practically ran to the nearest chef and glared with frosting on her lips.

She held out the half-eaten cupcake with vigor. "I demand to know who cooked this!"

Noticing who was asking the question, and all the food spread across her plump lips, the hearty chef chuckled and pointed a thumb at a skinny chef with his back turned, working on something that looked amazing from where she stood. It wasn't a cupcake, but a cake itself with strawberry frosting and layered with an abundance of chocolate chips, all perfectly sculptured.

When he reached down and turned around, she found her throat stuck. "J-Jaune! Is that you?"

He greeted Weiss with a hearty smile. "In the flesh! How's it going, Weiss?"

She blinked hard. The dunce was covered head-to-toe in flour with a silly pink apron on and had this magical glint in his eyes, like being behind an array of treats made him happy. Little did Weiss know, Jaune forgot how much he enjoyed cooking until he opened his first bag of sugar. Funny enough, he forgot about her. The smell of the kitchen had reminded him of his time back home and he sort of lost track of time between all the cooking and prepping.

She had to ask. "What are you doing in there?"

Jaune stopped and placed the mini cake down, inquiry strong. That was an excellent question. His original goal had all been but forgotten once he began mixing eggs and milk together. Everything turned into a blur after that. Time just got away from him.

Maybe he missed his home more than he hated to admit? The smell of the kitchen and mess that came from it had made his soul smile. Baking just brought out his inner Arc. That and dancing. All the things that weren't manly or macho.

He really was a momma's boy.

"Baking!" Jaune reached out for a single strawberry and placed it on the center of his creation. "It's a past time of mine. I forgot how much I enjoyed it until now."

Weiss bit her tongue. That tiny cake screamed out _Eat me_! The aroma invaded her sense of smell and overtook her. Whoever Jaune baked that treat for—because Weiss saw only this one and this one alone—was a lucky bastard. She wanted it! She needed it!

Sadly, she knew she didn't deserve it.

Even if there was nothing wrong with rejecting an attempted courting, she expected him to still be sour over his failed lunch date. She wouldn't be surprised, if not saddened, with him denying her the cake.

What did catch her off-guard was when he pushed the cake toward her. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he must've remembered why he started baking in the first place, or at least his subconscious did and ended up making this piece of perfection for his Snow Angel. Good thing, too, because he was exhausted.

"Here Weiss, this one is for you. This one has a special ingredient to make it taste all the sweeter."

She dared be cliché. "Love?"

Jaune chocked and went on to finish the rest of his creations. "What? No! That's silly. It's a hint of mocha."

She had a selection of quips ready to verbally chastise him, but they all got drowned under an avalanche of perfectly baked sugar with a pinch of mocha for a delightful aftertaste. So she settled for being labeled silly. A small price to pay for this devilish treat!

...

Weiss sat down and poked a fork into her treat, scoping a portion into her mouth with her eyes closed in pleasure. She released a delightful sigh upon eating. The strawberry-creamed, chocolate-chip cake melted on the tongue and the chips made for a pleasant treat.

"Are you gonna share some of that?"

The Dust Heiress opened her eyes with a fork in her mouth and found her teammates eyeing her dessert, most importantly Ruby. Her partner practically leaned under the table, hands pressed on the tabletop with her eyes glued to her treat. Silver glistened and awed the sugary food, wanting nothing more than a small nibble.

It was an obvious answer, one that made Weiss turn her back and hold her food close. "No. This one is mine. Go get your own."

"What!" Ruby threw her body up, unable to believe her stubborn partner! "Aw! That's not fair! Don't be mean, Weiss! There are only cupcakes and cookies over there! I want some of that!"

"Then go ask Jaune to make you one, because I'm not sharing."

Ruby huffed and zoomed over to the kitchen, leaving a path of rose petals in her wake. Meanwhile, Yang and Blake had their own problems to solve. Like why was Jaune baking sweets or how Weiss ended up receiving her own special treat?

"So?" Yang smirked. "Vomit Boy made that for you? Because from where I'm looking, that's the only cake he baked."

Weiss ignored Yang and spoiled her sweet tooth some more. So what if she accepted food made by Jaune? The brawler could connect the invisible dots all she wanted. There wasn't any picture to be seen. Jaune acted courteously. And she accepted his kindness with a weakness for sweets! What more did Yang want from her?

It meant nothing.

Ruby Rose learned how little nothing meant when she barged into Beacon's kitchen, spotting the Arc washing up with his apron undone. He didn't appear to have heard her, drowned out between the water and soap. A stack of filthy dishes towered over him. Poor Jaune still had flour all over his face and hair, but he acted cheerfully and whistled a charming tune.

Baking brought back good memories.

Suddenly, he was pulled from said memories when Ruby yanked on the strings of his apron and forced him to turn around. She had hopeful eyes, practically standing on her tippy toes with an adorable smile. What she wanted, Jaune hadn't a clue. More importantly, he enjoyed Ruby's company, but even he preferred her away from the kitchen.

"Hey, Rubes, what brings you here? All the food's out there."

"I want some dessert, too!"

Oh? She was here for sweets. He should've figured. Ruby probably saw the dessert he made for Weiss and got hungry. But why was she here? A whole display of cookies and cupcakes existed right outside the kitchen. They were going fast, that much was true. However, from his angle, he saw that there was still plenty to go around.

Jaune wiped some flour off his cheek, confused. "Then go get some. I made a bunch. I still see some triple-chocolate chips cookies over there."

Ruby squirmed. "No, dummy! I want the stuff you made for Weiss!"

He tried to be fair about it. "Oh, well, I'm sure if you just ask—?"

"She won't share!"

Honestly, he found that normal. From what he saw, Weiss treasured her sweets. Her _not_ sharing wasn't too farfetched. Still, knowing that she greedily kept all the food to herself, well, it made this baker smile. That just left the problem standing before him in all its five foot two adorableness.

Scratching his cheek, he sighed and looked around the empty kitchen. "I'm sorry, Ruby, but I only made the one. There's nothing else here."

Ruby figured as much and twiddled her fingers. "I was kind of hoping you make me some. Right now?"

He fought the urge to sigh. Ruby wanted him to cook her something now? Content or not, he was tired, too tired to bake anymore. Dishes still needed to be washed. Not to mention the ingredients were shelved and he had yet to eat. Dinner was close to ending. Baking just wasn't on his radar anymore.

"Again, sorry Rubes. Uh, maybe I'll make you something tomorrow? I'm too tired and I still need to eat dinner."

Her face fell, matching her body language. Ruby wanted to be mad but knew that wouldn't be fair to Jaune. He probably baked that scrumptious looking cake to impress Weiss. Judging by the way Weiss moaned from biting into the fluffy dessert, it worked. What this Rose wouldn't give for a small bite.

While she was fine with Beacon's selection of sweets, she had tasted the ones Jaune made today and found them beyond tasty. The cookies were soft and the cupcakes melted in the mouth. But Ruby knew better. Her partner had a silver fork for a tongue. Her level of taste and the examples she had to compare other sweets far surpassed her own. Ruby didn't dare imagine how good the cake Weiss had tasted, but this rose envied her. Ruby envied the shivers that passed through her partner's body.

It wasn't fair.

Ruby sighed and kicked her foot out. "Fine."

He felt terrible and reached for the spoon with the frosting from Snow Angel's mini-cake still covered in it. "Here, you wanna lick the spoon? It still has the frosting on it."

Ruby said nothing, hating how Jaune waggled the wooden spoon in front of her with a harmless grin. Without so much as a word, she swiped it out of his hands and puffed her cheeks out. Jaune heard the message loud and clear and escaped the kitchen, leaving the leader to sample in peace.

Ruby waited for the flapping of the door to close before pressing the frosting to her tongue. Her tastebuds recoiled from the unexpected taste of deliciousness, falling under the same trap as Weiss. A second taste followed with her licking the spoon clean, before swallowing the creamy texture with a satisfied yelp. She growled the minute it hit her stomach and almost broke the wooden spoon right then and there.

This was the food Jaune made for Weiss? This was the food her partner was eating and refusing to share? And Ruby Rose was stuck licking the spoon while she devoured a whole mini-cake for herself with who knew what else inside?

 _Snap_!

Now, this meant war.

...

Weiss didn't know what to expect for dinner the following day.

After eating Jaune's creations, the sweets went from bland to lackluster in a heartbeat. She even tasted one to end up recoiling from the lacking taste. How was she supposed to adjust back to Beacon standards? It was barbaric! Food was meant to be good. Good! Not generic brand!

Sitting with her team, except for her partner who chose to sit on the other side of the table, glaring daggers, Weiss picked at her foul Beacon-pudding. It was a bit rubbery with a small bitter aftertaste. Nothing at all like how a sweet should be.

Damn it!

One taste of the Arc's cooking and she was craving more. More than that, she was craving some before bed. That made her mad. Dumb Arc had to cook all that food yesterday and then completely turn his back to the kitchen today! She had silently wished for more when she walked into the Mess Hall for dinner today.

She craved more.

Weiss had two options presented to her. Either she could move past it and accept the Arc's mini-cake from yesterday was nothing more than a one-time thing, or persuade him to bake her another batch before lights out. One required she sacrifice some of her stubborn pride and the other required she stomach through Beacon's food for the next four years.

Poking her fork into her chocolate pudding, she spread some along her lips and forced it down. The disgusting way her body trembled was all the answer she needed.

Ruby traced her partner's path the moment she slammed her palms on the table and ventured off. Unmistakably, Weiss went hunting for the Arc to demand more sweets. When that happened, the reaper would swoop in and demand her fair share. Ruby only needed to bind her time and follow her partner, ignoring her other two teammates entirely.

Blake watched Ruby hide behind trash bins as she stalked Weiss in plain sight. "Should we do something?"

"What? And spoil the fun? Not on your nine lives, Blake." Yang grinned with mischief. "This is perfect teasing material. Just sit back and watch the fireworks happen."

Jumping back to Weiss, she found Jaune walking with a tray of his own food, smile foolish as he trekked toward his team. Before he could escape her, Weiss intercepted him and turned him around by grabbing his shoulder. The leader barely knew what was happening until he was forced to sit down at a nearby table.

Weiss sat the other end with her arms folded, taking his confusion as a cue to start. "I'll cut straight to the point, Jaune, I want more sweets. And I'm willing to pay for them. Just ask your price."

Jaune had to allow his thoughts to catch up to him. "Wait? What? You want more?" She nodded. Well, that was a confidence booster. "Okay then, what would you like? I can make a mean coconut cream pie!"

Weiss humphed and cast a glance over to the row of lies. "Thank you. That sounds much better than what they're serving now."

He laughed and awed sadly at the desserts. "I will admit they're kinda okay, but they're not bad." Even he didn't believe his own words. "Either way, order up one extra-thick, small, coconut cream pie! So, when do you want it? Tomorrow for lunch or dinner?"

"Today."

Jaune blinked, losing his smile. "Wait? You want it today? As in today-today? Before dinner ends?"

She shrugged, pointedly looking elsewhere. "You don't have to have it done before dinner ends, just before it's lights out. It shall be a midnight snack."

Jaune leaned back on his seat, thoughts jumbled. He preferably didn't feel like baking, not after feeding a portion of the student body yesterday, but her mother's advice nagged him to create the girl's sweets. Besides, he wanted this. Weiss was giving him the time of day. It wasn't much. No.

But it was a start.

Still, it was a chore to ask. "No problem, Weiss. It'd be cutting it close, but I'm sure I can get it done."

Her mouth was watering at the idea, but business came first. "And your price?"

"Your smile."

"... Huh?"

Jaune smiled at the dumbstruck Heiress. "Your smile is more than enough payment for me." He removed himself from the table to join his team. "Just let me eat first and then make sure you save room for dessert! Because it's going to be a doozy!"

The Schnee hardly heard any of that. A smile? All he wanted was her smile? Not cash or favors or even a possible date, but her smile? What kind of—where did he get the nerve—how could he want— _ugh_!

Weiss promptly sat up and ventured back to her team's table, hating how warm she felt with her arms crossed. Darn her cheeks! Stop it with the blood rush! She was sick, yes. Sick of the bland food Beacon was serving. It had nothing to do with Jaune's stupid payment.

Ironically, when her fellow leader failed to enter the kitchen, Ruby figured Weiss failed in her attempts to gain more food. The way her cheeks were puffed out and the redness in between painted a picture of her plan failing. The arms were also a dead giveaway.

With a sad sigh, Ruby grumbled and walked away. If Weiss couldn't talk Jaune into making more food, then what chance did she have? It was better if she forgot about it and prepared for tomorrow's classes. If only the silvered-eye girl remained behind to notice Jaune devouring his food at a quicker speed, then she might've put two-and-two together.

...

Jaune bid his team a quick goodbye and practically sprinted to the kitchen. He quickly grabbed an apron and tugged it on, smile grand for a man who failed a lunch date the day prior. The Arc didn't know whether his mother was a genius or just that good, but he appreciated her advice all the same.

At the same time, how his father managed to win's mother's heart would remain a mystery to the Arc.

Scooping up a load of ingredients, he smashed his hands together and smiled. Nearby, the chefs noticed this and shared in his enthusiasm, pleased the young man's attempts to win his fair maiden wasn't over. Chefs were notoriously good at recognizing the character of people, and this boy lacked ill intent.

"Does this kitchen have any coconut?"

Yup! This lad had a good head on his shoulders. Only an experienced cook knew that coconut cream pie was the blue ribbon of all pies.

Anything less was blasphemy!

...

Weiss waited patiently on her bed, counting down the seconds. More than an hour had passed. She tried not to appear impatient. At least Yang or Blake weren't around. They'd call her out in an instant. Ruby, on the other hand, was busy messing around with her scroll with her feet thrown up and body sprawled on the bed.

 _Knock_! _Knock_!

Weiss smiled and scurried off the bed, surprising Ruby. "Finally. I thought he wouldn't make it."

Ruby tilted her head. "Thought who wouldn't make it, Weiss? Who's at the door?"

Weiss ignored Ruby and opened the door to find a flour covered Jaune. He must've skipped washing up to make sure she received her dessert on time. She appreciated the gesture, especially since she asked him last minute. Somehow, the flour stuck to his cheeks made his smile all the sweeter.

He laughed and held out a sweet for her. "Sorry that it took so long, Weiss. I had to make the crust from scratch."

Lo and behold, her eyes widened from the small treat made for her. It was a coconut cream pie with a layer of extra-thick and rich cream-filling and almond crust. It smelled heavenly. The aroma alone made her mouth water. To think it was all made from scratch?

Composing herself, she frowned at his messy appearance. Next time she'd ask him sooner for her dessert so he wouldn't need to scramble. Well, if there was a next time. Probably best to cement that situation now and seize her future stronghold on all things sugary sweet.

Weiss Schnee wasn't going to settle for just _good enough_.

"That is quite alright, Jaune. I did ask at such short notice. It's me who should be apologizing." Weiss motioned him to enter. "I was wondering if we could discuss possible future exchanges."

Jaune foolishly grinned. Her calm facade was betrayed by her eyes only focused on the pie. Filled him with pride that she adored his cooking so much. If she wanted more, then the Arc could oblige.

"Sure, Weiss."

Ruby quickly sat up when Jaune walked in with a pie. What the heck? When did he? When did she? Why was there a pie in his hands? Was that for Weiss? How come she was only now just learning about this? Where was _her_ pie?

Where did Weiss get the nerve!

Her partner scooped the pie out of the Arc's hands, only to glare when he produced a fork out of his pocket and she had to come back to retrieve it. She sat on her bed, appetite strong for the mini pie. Meanwhile, Ruby glared as if Weiss had kicked Zwei with steam practically coming out her ears. Poor Jaune noticed none of this; busy appreciating the small smile Weiss wore.

When her partner scooped the first slice into her mouth and squirmed from the indescribable taste, Ruby lost it and jumped Jaune's back, arms wrapped around his neck with her feet around his midriff. Weiss watched him try to maintain balance, eyes innocent with cream on her lips, only to fail and crash upon the floor with a heavy _thud_.

Ruby immediately untangled herself and flipped Jaune over, straddling his body while she gripped his flour-covered hoodie. Thus, the endless banging from head to floorboard began with Jaune trying to calm Ruby down while she uttered total nonsense.

Weiss quietly attacked her pie while she watched.

Ruby stopped her endless shaking to force the Arc to look her in the eyes. "Where's mine? Where's mine! You said you would make me some dessert yesterday and I don't see it!"

The leader blinked when he stopped seeing stars. Now that he thought about it, she was sadly right. He _had_ forgotten about Ruby and their meeting in the kitchen. When Weiss had asked for more, his trip to cloud nine must've pushed the memory back.

Now he felt bad.

"Hey! I said maybe. Maybe I'll make you some." It was a weak excuse, one she saw through. He felt like scum. "Alright, my bad, Rubes. I completely forgot. Sorry."

Ruby pursed her lips and leaned back with her body still straddling him, arms crossed. Jaune lied flat on his back, arms out. Neither of them noticed the awkward position, both distracted with other pressing thoughts. Ruby and her unfairness of the world, and Jaune trying to find a solution to this sticky situation.

His answer came when he looked up to see that Weiss had only finished half her mini-pie.

Jaune gave her his best award-winning smile. "Weiss..."

The Heiress quickly saw through his ploy, mouth full of delicious pie. Her glare was imposing but lacked bite when battling her stuffed, cream-covered cheeks. To make matters worse, Ruby followed Jaune's line of thinking, attacking the girl with her best puppy-dog pout.

Jaune laughed awkwardly. "Please, Weiss, I'll make you something tomorrow. Just for now... could you share? Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

Jaune knew how risky asking that question was. Asking a girl to share her sweets was like running into a minefield with snowshoes, but he was hoping the promise of more sweets would convince her. Just until tomorrow. After all, Weiss couldn't be that stingy with sweets.

In the end, what won over Weiss was the lip wobble from her leader. She still wasn't happy about it. Far from it!

"Fine! But tomorrow I want some cheesecake with a cherry topping!"

Ruby raised her hand, acting childish. "Oh! Oh! Me too!" She rested her hands on his chest, glare sudden. "You are going to cook me something, too, right, Jaune? We're besties."

Suddenly, the Arc felt his baking talents turn on him. When did the universe decide to dub him their personal chef? Did he miss a memo? Wait a minute? When dud he become Ruby's bestie and why wasn't Weiss fighting hard to reclaim that title? If anything, she purposely overlooked that hiccup to settle into scooping her last forkful of dessert with a delightful shiver.

He hated being left out of the loop.

Stuck between a rock and Ruby's body, he sighed and hit his head on the floorboard. "Sure, what are friends for?"

Ruby smiled and poked Jaune on the cheek, before plucking her half of the coconut cream pie from her partner's hands, still trapping him under her hundred and twenty pounds of adorableness.

No one commented on their inappropriate position with Weiss busy being jealous and peeved. Jaune said nothing and waited to gauge her reaction. Screwed over or not, he wanted to remember the first time Ruby tasted one of his treats. Just like Weiss, all he wanted was a smile for his troubles.

A girl's smile alone made all the lien in the world worthless.

...

Blake and Yang were walking back to their dorm room, their training over with. The brawler had this grin on her face that was all teasing and only meant for her partner, who ignored it. Just because she lost in their match, didn't mean Blake had to humor Yang. Of course, the fiery girl ignored the hint and poked Blake every chance she got.

"Maybe next time, partner? I'll even make it easy for you with one arm tied behind my back." _Shove_! "Oh! Kitty's got claws!"

Blake would deny the shove later. She would never stoop so low. No one saw, thus it never happened. She still had a snappy retort on the edge of her tongue, but that all died when her Faunus ears picked up the muffled sounds of Jaune's voice coming from their room.

Before Yang could create a loud ruckus, she silenced her partner with a finger to the lip and rested her ear against the door. Yang, not needing to be told once, placed her ear alongside her partner, listening to the muffled sounds of heavy breathing.

The heaving breathing of an Arc with his chest being pressed down by Ruby's excited hand.

From the other side of the door, Ruby moaned loudly into the bite, practically turning to goo on top of Jaune with her face covered in thick cream. She slurred her words with her mouth full of frosting filling, shaking from sugar pleasure.

"Mmmm! Jaune's cream pie is so good! It's filling me up with how much there is!" She swallowed the dessert, sighing in happiness. "And his cream is so thick and yummy!"

 _Smash_!

A foot crashed against Team RWBY's dorm and in stepped a furious Yang with her eyes burning deadly red. She found her baby sister straddling a pair of legs with her body shaking. When Ruby turned around in a panic, Yang noticed the white stuff covering her face and turned ballistic at the downed Arc.

"Any last words before you die, Arc!"

Jaune barely managed to collect his thoughts, before he found Yang's fist a few inches away from his face. Unlike her partner, Blake looked at things rationally and noticed the plate in Ruby's hands. She had immediately used Gambol Shroud's string to capture Yang's arm, stopping her from finishing her death blow.

"Before you decide to kill Jaune, look to your right."

Yang stubbornly obeyed her partner's suggestion and found Ruby holding a plate of mostly eaten pie, eyes wide. She saw now the white stuff coating her face was nothing more than extra-thick cream and frosting. But if that was the case, then why was her baby sister straddling Jaune?

A quick peek at the small plate, and her sister's peeved partner revealed the answer. Knowing how jealously adorable Ruby was yesterday from Ice Queen's sweets, filled in the rest of the gap, and Yang's eyes reverted back to lilac. Ruby must've tackled Jaune and demanded sweets when only Weiss got some? Yang easily saw Ruby smacking his head on the floor in protest.

Her sister was a glutton for all things sweet.

Blowing a puff of air out, Yang grinned harmlessly. "Whoa! Close one there, huh Arc?"

He laughed awkwardly and drew a breath, resting his head on the floor. "You're telling me."

Smiling, Yang turned to her comatose sister, eyeing the pie. "Whatcha got there, Ruby?"

Ruby swallowed her mouthful and shyly held the pie out of reach. "Nothing."

Yang smirked and tackled her sister, freeing Jaune in her attempted goal of snatching Ruby's treat. He used the opportunity to sit up, sweat heavy from almost taking one to the face. Blake ignored the jumble of limbs wrestling for the last piece of the pie, pulling the Arc up.

He smiled at the Faunus. "Hey, thanks for the save, Blake. I owe you big time."

"Don't mention it. Although..." Blake teased humorlessly, eyeing the struggling sisters. "You might want to be careful next time. I won't always be there to save your butt."

"Ha-ha! Don't worry about me! I can protect my own butt!"

"Whoa!" Yang hooted, sitting on top of a defeat Ruby. She licked the rest of the pie clean. "This stuff is good! I'm impressed Arc. If you're taking requests, can I have a sundae?"

Jaune frowned. "Sorry, Yang, I don't work with bananas."

She smirked and rested her body on the edge of Ruby's back. "Why?"

He sighed nonchalantly. "Because I always trip and—what is this? Twenty questions? I don't use them! Okay! Ever!"

"Fine! Fine!" Yang grinned. "No bananas! Read you loud and clear!"

"Would you like anything else?"

She shrugged and poked Ruby on the back. "Nah! I don't have a weakness for sweets like my sister here. I prefer spices."

Ruby groaned. "It's not a weakness!"

Yang poked her stubborn sister on the head. "You can say that after you beat in a wrestling match. But with all this sugar weighing you down, I don't see that happening."

Enjoying sibling teasing as much as the next older sibling, Jaune sighed and headed for the door. "If you'll excuse me, I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed."

"Nighty-night!" Yang waved, mood fantastic. The pie was good. "Don't let the bedbugs bite!"

"Don't forget about the cheesecake tomorrow!" Weiss yelled before he shut the weakened door.

Yang snickered while Ruby groaned. "Gosh, Ice Queen, demanding are we? Vomit Boy makes you a few sweets, and suddenly you can't live without them?"

Weiss _humphed_ and refused to answer the short-fuse of the team. The Heiress didn't need to explain herself. Not like Yang could understand her plight if she did! The girl jumped between topics faster than Blake could hide her questionable literature in public.

Ruby wailed from underneath her sister. "Could you get off me now, Yang? My back's starting to hurt."

...

Prepping the cornstarch, Jaune worked with grace in the kitchen, determined not to fail.

While Yang almost beating him to a bloody pulp was a scary experience, he couldn't wash away the image of Ruby's pure, blissful smile. That alone made him want to work harder. If nothing else, he enjoyed the sight of her shaking in rapture. Impressing Snow Angel was just part of the same train.

The downside of making two creations, Jaune needed more prep work. Not to mention that cheesecake required a finer touch and needed an hour to bake, added with needing to be fridged. Putting those three things together and, well, Weiss and Ruby would have to wait for their sweets until after dinner.

Next time he would warn them about the prepping time of certain foods.

"Finally!"

Jaune wheezed and placed the cake into the fridge, hungry for dinner. All he needed to do was add the cherry topping, but that was quick and easy. With nothing else to do but to wait, he exited the kitchen with a satisfied grin.

He returned a few hours later, hoping Beacon's fridges were as advanced as the chefs said. He was pleasantly surprised to find the cheesecakes nice and ready, only needing that layer of cherries. A quick fixup of cherries, lemon juice, and sugar later and the topping was splashed over the cheesecake, molding perfectly for consumption.

"I impress myself sometimes."

Walking with the cheesecakes in hand, Jaune passed a few students eyeing his creations, hunger evident. Ignoring them all, he reached Team RWBY's door and bumped his hip against the hardwood, smiling at the way Ruby practically pulled the door open against her partner's orders not to pull so hard. A few members were missing.

Jaune peered around the room, holding the sweets away from a handsy Ruby. "Where's Blake and Yang at?"

Weiss smiled at the food. "Training. Yang likes to workout before sleeping. Blake gets dragged along."

Jaune took pity for poor Blake and handed Weiss her cherry covered cheesecake, purposely taking his time at giving Ruby's hers by falsely inspecting it with a keen eye and short _hum_. He grinned at the way Weiss fought the urge to dig in, keeping herself tidy. Ruby, on the other hand, tackled hers like it would fly away if she didn't.

Polar opposite girls and they were both weak to sweets. Wow? His mother was right. Girls with a sweet tooth did love their sugar. No wonder Ruby was so hyper all the time. He couldn't speak for Weiss, but he liked to think the same rules applied somehow.

Enjoying their soft moans of content, he shyly eyed Ruby's dessert. She was purposely maneuvering around the biggest cherry, hoping to save it for last. Jaune wasn't one to hold a grudge, but he felt feisty today. Besides, he wished to have a taste test, too. It wasn't personal.

Only payback for almost getting him killed.

Swooping down, Weiss watched Jaune slide up to her partner and snatch the cherry from Ruby's treat, plucking it between his fingers with a greedy smile. She said nothing. She did nothing. She was only content it wasn't her cherry Jaune's swooping in to steal.

"Jaune?" Ruby groaned with her mouth somewhat full. She had been saving that cherry because it was juiciest one and dumb Jaune had stolen it. "What are you doing?"

He put the cherry between his teeth, leaning over the small girl. "Watch Rubes, I'm going to pop your cherry."

"No! You meanie!" Ruby moaned. "I was saving that!"

 _Crash_!

Another crash, another day to fear for Death by the hands of an overprotective sister. Yang was Wrath incarnated, walking in with fiery fury, and focused her sights on the boy leaning over Ruby. _Pop her cherry_? There was no mistaking that! Not even Blake could convince her otherwise! Her fists were already locked-and-loaded.

This time she moved first. She tackled the Arc, pressing down to the floor with her body straddling his this time around. She aimed a dominant fist back, ready to smash his face to pieces when he bit down on the cherry and popped the juices all over her. The moment had been so convoluted that it stunned the entire room, giving Weiss just enough time to tip Yang off Jaune's downed body with a summoned glyph.

"How ridiculous can you be? He stole the last cherry from Ruby's cheesecake!" Weiss yelled, protecting her sweet maker. "What is wrong with you sometimes? I swear, your hair's absorbing too many nutrients that your brain needs."

Yang grew silent, only now realizing the cherry between Jaune's teeth was the one Ruby was whining about. Between her and the terrified leader, she at least had the decency to pull him up. The action was a wasted one because Jaune rushed out of Team RWBY's room, leaving behind a fuming Weiss and pouting Ruby.

Yang looked to Blake for wisdom. The Faunus simply shrugged. "Don't take everything you hear to heart? It's probably not what it sounds like."

The tempered girl remembered Jaune's terrified dash and sighed, knowing her sister was going to give her an earful later.

...

The very next day, Blake and Yang walked back from their sparring session with Yang on high alert. She listened distinctly for Ruby's voice, still not sure whether to listen to Blake's advice. Her partner attempted more than once to persuade her to drop it, calling her foolish and other absurd words.

None of them worked.

Blake watched the way Yang pressed her ear the door, hoping to catch some nefarious plot to deflower her sister. Knowing it was hopeless to stop her, she followed her example and pressed her head against the door as well. Once this plan failed, Blake would force Yang to listen to reason. If nothing else, then to avoid Team JNPR's wrath after Jaune Arc's accidental, passion-driven funeral.

They heard Ruby's voice with a whimsical tone. "Hey Jaune, you wanna know what else I would like?"

"Some fries with that shake?"

Blake didn't react to when Yang kicked the door, only question why she couldn't open it with the handle instead. The picture found was Ruby dangling her feet over Blake's bed with a strawberry shake between her hands and a straw in her lips. She had this innocent look that made the scene all the more entertaining for one cat Faunus.

Weiss had adopted an annoyed glare, acting as a shield between Jaune and his red-eyed monster with a straw stuck between her own lips. She slurped some of her beverage, being his wall. The poor Arc looked ridiculous hiding behind a girl who was almost a whole foot shorter than him.

Ruby frowned, shaking her smoothie. "Stop scaring Jaune, Yang! You're being mean! He didn't do anything!"

Yang lacked a comeback and released an exhausted sigh. Maybe it was time to listen to Blake's advice? Sooner or later, the door wasn't going to close again.

...

Finding himself yet again in the kitchen, during dinner, Jaune washed his hands thoroughly, wondering what the hell happened. When did baking become a chore? He went from trying to impress Snow Angel to feeding two sugar-lovers whatever they wanted. It was great at first. Seeing their smiles made it all worth it, for a while anyway, but Jaune was getting sick of all these close Yang-beatings.

Enough was enough!

It had been fine the first time, doable, but three times was pushing it. If this was the price he had to pay to make them smile, it was starting to look sour. Where was the payoff? The reason to even bother? A simple smile for possible pain? Heck no! Why? At this point, this was just a waste of his time and effort.

All his hard work was achieving nothing but almost beatdowns.

Excuse him for not seeing the glamour in being reduced to a puddle of glop. Which brought up the question of _why_? Why put himself through this for an offchance with Weiss noticing him. He was starting to challenge his mother's advice. As far as he saw, Weiss only cared about the sweets—they both did! Neither looked at him differently.

They came to expect things, and by that logic, he had spoiled them.

For Ruby, he never planned to bake for her, never even planned to dazzle her. She had asked for sweets, demanded precisely, and the Arc had no option but to answer _yes_. So he wasn't mad at her. A little annoyed, maybe, but not angry. If anything, he was frustrated with himself. All of this effort, all the hours spent slaving in front of a hot oven, and for what? A bruise on his back from when Yang had tackled him to the floor?

Jaune rested his hands in the soapy water. Sighing, he threw his head down, saddened by his murky reflection glaring back.

Maybe it was time to quit on Weiss?

From where he saw things going, he wasn't any closer to winning over her heart. A sweet tooth, while good for gaining some brownie points, could never replace mutual attraction. The very least, Weiss probably humored his presence and didn't hate him. It was a start, but the end of the line for this Arc.

It was time to throw in the apron. Nothing good came out of this experience, except for the few smiles he cherished.

Jaune set his mind and prepared for the worst. Might as well sink with a bang and submerge a treasure.

Dragging his hands out the water, he quickly scrubbed them dry and pulled out an assortment of ingredients. Time to create a dessert that was one-of-a-kind! The last one Jaune Arc would concoct.

He reached for a bowl and began milking chocolate sauce and vanilla extract together. Butter, sugar, and milk joined the bowl, mixing into a variety of flavor. He purposely mixed the ingredients with his gloved hands, concentrating with every fiber of his being.

Both the girls were going to be mad. He knew that. That was why this sweet had to be a masterpiece through and through to weaken the blow. A whisk wasn't good enough. Jaune couldn't afford any mistakes. No lingering tastes or smells were permitted. The ratios had to be right. None of the flavors were allowed to overpower any other. Things needed to balance.

He glared, frustrated. "C'mon, Jaune! Remember what mom always said, stressed spelled backward is desserts! And an Arc never goes back on their word! Use your stress to make this cake perfect!"

Unbeknownst to Jaune, his unknown Semblance reacted to his scattered emotions, illuminating his hands in a white energy. He saw none of it. The dark chocolate covering his hands hid the glow, not to mention his Semblance and Aura mixed with the extra-thick frosting.

Aura created a unique flavor only he had the ability to conceive. His Semblance enhanced and amplified that flavor's unique properties to unknown, dangerously high levels. Anything the chocolate frosting came in contact with also received stimulation, including the strawberries he added in as an afterthought once he finished baking.

Fixing the seven layers of chocolate with a delicate touch, he wiped his forehead with his forearm, covered with a thin layer of flour. He was honestly impressed with himself. This sweet pushed his capabilities to the limits, but a work of art breathed to life because of it. Sadly, such a masterpiece required too much time for one alone.

Jaune Arc just had to hope that Ruby and Weiss could share his Seven Layer of Heaven creation.

Partners or not, they were vicious when it came to their sweets. Add in the fact that this was his last sweet and, well, sharing might be the worst thing to ask of them?

Honestly, it didn't matter anymore. Mad or not, he was done, both figuratively and literally. Time to end all this madness once and for all! At the very least his Seven Layers of Heaven could be used as a peace offering. That should disarm some of the tension.

He kept his masterpiece close to his body, shielding it from prying eyes. Unlike some of his other works, this one hadn't taken a generous portion of his time and left him ample time to talk to the girls and end on good terms. And he liked the idea of avoiding Yang's misguided fury.

 _Knock_! _Knock_!

"Come in!"

Jaune smiled at how enthusiastic Ruby's voice sounded. He almost right then and there reconsidered his goal but remained firm in his decision to end it. The Arc entered the room with the cake balanced on his hand, trying not to laugh at how Weiss appeared nonchalant about the whole thing. Ruby made it no secret, but the Heiress created the illusion of dignity.

Too bad Jaune knew of Weiss' messy eating habits. Whatever dignity she thought she had was long gone.

Before he could hand them the cake, Ruby zoomed over and pointed at him accusingly. "Hey? Why's there only one? Did you forget the other in the kitchen?"

"No... this is the last cake?"

Weiss sat at the edge of her bed, frowning. "What do you mean the last cake? I doubt Beacon's storeroom ran out of ingredients."

Jaune laughed. "No, this is my last cake. I'm done baking. No more cakes by Jaune Arc after today! You two will have to go back to eating whatever Beacon serves for dinner."

Stunning silence followed after Jaune's announcement, breaking the peace. Then, with fear in her eyes, Ruby grabbed her partner's shoulders and panicked.

"Weiss! Jaune's gone crazy!"

Weiss suspiciously narrowed her eyes, frown impossibly thin. "I completely agree. He must be suffering a blow to the head. But don't worry, we'll fix this."

Jaune glared. He figured this wouldn't be easy. "No, my head's perfectly fine. There's nothing to fix. I'm just done with all this. All the cooking and baking, I'm done. It was fun while it lasted, but it's time to end this."

Ruby frowned. "But why?"

Jaune spared a quick glance toward his object of affection, before refocusing his attention at the distraught girl. "I have my reasons, Rubes. Trust me on that."

She slid into his personal space, hugging her hands close as she unleashed her puppy-dog pout on the leader. Sadly, he was immune to its effects, poking Ruby on the arm in a mocking way.

"That might've worked on Weiss, but I have seven sisters, Ruby. You'll have to do better than that. I'm immune."

Her hidden ace countered, Ruby grumbled and walked over to Weiss, defeated. It was all up to her partner to save their desserts, but what could she do to a person immune to the puppy-dog pout? No one was supposed to be immune. Not her dumb dad or awesome uncle! Why was he?

Reflecting back to the twaddle that was Beacon's desserts, Weiss narrowed her eyes and heavily considered her options. Or she would, but the Heiress had zero cards to play. It wasn't like Jaune had done what he did for lien or personal favors. All he had asked of them was their smiles. How was she supposed to turn that into a weapon without sounding like some heartless monster?

She had to try.

Easier said than done, Weiss didn't have a clue. Still, she played her strengths and focused on Jaune's sense of justice. Maybe, somehow someway, his pride was his weakness?

"We'll go on a hunger strike?" Weiss gauged with Ruby nodding along.

He held his creation away. "Then I guess neither of you gets any of this cake. I made it special, too."

Special?

The girls leaned forward and inhaled a quick whiff of the dark chocolate and moist strawberries, moaning from the way it tickled their noses. Special was using the word in the lightest sense. The smell alone floated them on cloud nine. To think, Jaune was about to rip this away from them forever.

Knowing he held all the cards, they banked on a bluff and challenged his equally stubborn glare head-on. After a minute of useless resistance, they huddled together, whispering nonsense. When they broke apart, they were glaring with firm resolve.

"How about we make a deal?" Weiss offered. "You occasionally make us some sweets, not all the time, just sometimes, and we'll owe you one? It could be anything you want, within reason, of course."

Jaune considered the proposition, remembering all the hassle he went through. Darn it! He hated the way that _owe you one_ line sounded. He was immune to the puppy-dog pout, but he was a sucker for his friends. Ruby, he could understand, but for Weiss to offer such an option, she must despise Beacon's sweets? Not many people, especially not Weiss Schnee, begged within subtext.

Damn his bleeding heart!

Sighing, he chuckled and placed the treat on their Weiss' bed. "You know what, forget about it. Just promise to help me in the kitchen from time to time, it does get stressful at times, and the sweets are yours. But I still want those smiles."

Ruby's eyes sparkled. "So we'll be like your assistant chefs? And you'll teach us how to make all that delicious food?"

He didn't say any of that, but he couldn't refuse her. Besides, someone had to wash the dishes and clean up the place. If Weiss and Ruby took care of that problem, then he'd be more than happy to have them in the kitchen, with Ruby a respectable distance away from the kitchen appliances, of course.

He shrugged. "Sure, why not. But you also have to protect me from Yang!"

"Deal!"

Ruby tackled him in a hug, hanging off his neck with her body pressed against her back. Weiss was less emotional and looked away, smile too embarrassing for anyone to see. She knew nothing about the workings of a kitchen, but perhaps she could learn. Who knew?

Maybe baking could be fun.

"Let's eat!" Ruby cheered and zoomed over to the cake, suddenly losing her smile. "Wait a minute? I forgot, you only made one!"

Jaune saw no problem with that, but the girls suddenly gripped opposite ends of the plate, pulling hard between the two in a power struggle. He acutely forgot about their stubbornness to share. Now the white rose and red rose of Team RWBY were fighting for control over the plate of messy, strawberry-covered, dark chocolate.

It was a war of the roses.

Stuck watching the two fight over sugary sweets, Jaune started to reconsider his reconsider to reconsider his decision to refute baking for them. There fighting soured the mood of the whole thing.

Both Weiss and Ruby tugged fruitlessly on The Seven Layers of Heaven, growing infuriating impatient. Jaune tried to stop them, a pointless endeavor. Not a single one of them remembered the amount of chocolate drizzle spread across the concoction and plate, leaving the girls' grip slipping between the chocolate.

Jaune reached for his masterpiece. "Hey! Stop fighting! You could just share the cake—!"

 _Slip_!

Weiss and Ruby end up slipping from the chocolate frosting coating their fingers, falling hard on their butts while the cake traveled up in the air. The dessert landed squarely on top of Jaune's head, dripping down his neck and between his hoodie and skin in a mudslide of chocolate and strawberries. It was the first time either Ruby or Weiss saw Jaune adopt a glare of unrivaled annoyance. The way he sighed miserably with cake dripping down his skin painted an odd picture.

He didn't appear mad, just tired.

Not saying a word, he whipped his arms to remove some of the toppings, but most of it had crawled underneath his clothes and drenched his skin in a thick, strong layer of warm chocolate. It was sticky and slippery. Not the way he planned to be when offering the peace treaty. All that hard work for nothing. All that prepping and motivation talks, and for what? To be drenched in his work?

What a waste.

Reaching for his hair, he removed some chocolate off and groaned. He needed to get cleaned up. Being covered in chocolate and strawberries was the last thing he needed. Drat! Some of it managed to drip into his hoodie. Now it was clinging to his skin. Just perfect!

Modesty useless, his annoyance overpowered his embarrassment and he removed both his shirt and hoodie. Just as he figured, chocolate clung to his skin. It dripped off him like sticky syrup with a couple of strawberries stuck. He would know, Nora was a messy eater above all else. Still, his annoyance turned into sadness when he spotted the inside of Pumpkin Pete Hoodie and realized all that hard work was wasted.

"Great! These stains are never going to come out!" If he thought he was filthy, then the hoodie was trashed. "Could this get any worse?" A piece of chocolate dripped off his hair and landed on the bunny logo. "I'm leaving."

Ruby rushed forward and grabbed him by his wrist, pulling him back. "Jaune! Wait! Don't go! We're sorry! How about we wash up your hoodie? It's our fault you got dirty. We did get kinda dumb back there."

Weiss humphed. "We did turn childish back there. I do apologize. It was unacceptable behavior."

Jaune pulled his wrist free, not in the mood for their excuses. He was beyond frustrated and stressed. The endless baking, Yang's hovering shadow, the late nights, and now this? How was a guy supposed to maintain a composer with all that going around? He was just too tired to deal with any of this.

Baking had been a mistake.

Before he could pry the door open, Ruby grabbed him by the wrist again, pulling gently this time. Her touch was soft and the milky white of her skin blended perfectly with the chocolate drenched over his skin. From the lightness of her touch, he felt the remorse radiating from her, and she frowned sadly at the Arc.

He allowed his glare to fade. Under her tender hold, he had little chance of being mad and less knowing how Ruby wore her emotions on her sleeves. The tenseness of his muscles didn't die, but they recoiled.

How was he supposed to say no?

Sighing, he relaxed and gave Ruby his hoodie, and the crimsonette hugged it close to her body with an apologetic smile. He was still too annoyed to care about his bare chest remaining exposed, not considering Yang's possible intrusion the least. The faster he left, the faster his stress could wither and die.

Not watching Ruby, Jaune didn't notice her move his hoodie close and smell it. Above all else, the girl wanted a quick whiff of what had been wasted, and to her disappointment, the aroma smelled phenomenal. Even with it spilled in his hoodie, she still desired a quick taste. It'd be quick.

Absorbing more of the fragrance, her eyes lightly glazed under the unique aroma. Without thinking, she dragged her finger across the hoodie, scooping up a chunk of chocolate. A quick taste test revealed its deliciousness and dragged her deeper into the flavor of madness, but it felt lacking.

She shoveled more, licking it and the taste was unusual, but her instincts were drawn toward the chocolate covering Jaune's exposed chest. She couldn't understand why, couldn't comprehend it, but her senses said to taste that _one_. That was where perfection resided.

Never one to question her gut, and unknowingly reaching out with her inhibitors lowered, she poked Jaune on the chest. Before the Arc could ask, she dipped her finger down his torso and past his ribs, scooping a small chunk of thick chocolate on her index finger.

Ruby then tasted the drip of dessert, ignoring Weiss and Jaune's confusion as her eyes practically bulged out from the assault on her taste buds. All flavors she had savored paled in comparison to this divine taste. It was beyond sweet. Maybe even beyond words?

Ruby Rose desired more.

Running more fingers across his chest, her inhibitions lowered further, and she tasted more while running her tongue over her fingers. She couldn't resist. The flavor was so tantalizingly sweet. Good thing Jaune was too stunned to move, making it easier for the adorable girl to lick her fill. Not only that, but Pyrrha's training showed real signs of improvement.

It was like running her hand over a piece of hard candy drenched in a layer of creamy, warm, thick chocolate.

Weiss would deny it later, but she was beyond curious at the way Ruby practically used a frozen Jaune as a plate and trailed a soft finger across the stunned Arc's arm, slipping the chocolate between her lips too. Just like Ruby, the flavors suckered punched her and had her wanting more. It consumed her.

She craved that chocolate dripping off his skin and annoying Ruby was licking it clean. Well, not on her watch! Jaune originally was supposed to be baking her treats, not her dumb leader. It was only fair she ate more than her.

Weiss shoved Ruby aside, bumping her hips to hers in an effort to drive her away. She traced a finger across Jaune's arm, waggled it in front of Ruby, and then popped it into her mouth, falling under the control of the amplified flavors with a long moan.

She dared a sly glance over to the mute Arc, braving a tiny smirk to pass between her chocolate stained lips. He was clearly flustered, cheeks growing cherry red. It complimented his current shade of skin, making him look like a giant vanilla swirl cupcake.

Weiss Schnee loved cupcakes.

A quick index finger to his biceps revealed the tenseness of his muscles. She frowned disapprovingly. Jaune needed to relax. It wasn't fair he stayed up making both her and Ruby desserts. She saw that now. Besides, she hated thinking of him all tense from the threat of Yang hanging in the air. No matter how she looked at it, she was partial to blame.

Feeling good, Weiss dipped more chocolate into her mouth, nose scrunched in happiness. The chocolate traveled down her throat and left behind a pleasant aftertaste.

Yup! In order to eat more of this, she'd be willing to help him reduce the tension in his body and work however possible. Another scoop of chocolate gave her a few ideas on how, but nothing beat the way he reacted by her light touch. Her fingers firmly gripped his bicep and she cooed after the discovery of a hard-shell underneath the layer of flavor.

Weiss liked what she felt.

Not one to lose, Ruby pouted with her arms thrown to her sides and shoved Weiss back. Her partner hardly appreciated that and pushed her again. This ultimately ended up with them glaring sparks at each other, while Jaune remained forever confused. His face had long since turned red. He considered leaving, not knowing what else to do. Then, they each seize an arm of his and tugged incessantly.

The excited girls pressed their chests to his arms, locking him firmly in place. They were glaring with adorable pouts, faces hot with fluster and bodies burning like an oven.

Weiss humphed, not caring that her outfit was getting covered in chocolate from holding Jaune's arm so close, and smirked. She dared to be bold. A simple dip of her finger across his arm produced a chunk of chocolate. With a subtle grace, she consumed the generous quantity of chocolate, before throwing caution to the wind to drag her entire tongue across his forearm, enjoying the way Jaune's breath hitched and the frown building on Ruby's face.

Why she did something so forward, she hadn't the foggiest clue. It was like her inhibitors had been dulled or something more. Nonetheless, all she cared for was how much sweeter the treat tasted when she dragged her tongue across his skin. And the thought of marking Jaune with her tongue sent shivers up her spine.

Weiss never removed her eyes from Ruby and went in for a second lick, purposely showing her dolt of a leader her tongue full of chocolate goodness. She smugly grinned at her leader, lips dripping with Jaune's delicious chocolate-filling. It tasted so much better after directly licking it from the source. Darn her leader! How dare she attempt to steal this from her! Like Weiss would back down and allow her to have it!

The Arc belonged to her!

Ruby pouted with her nose scrunched up and red. She glared at her partner in determination, meeting her bravery with a boldness of her own. Jaune barely had time to react before she was grabbing him by his shoulders, pulling down to her face level. The adorable girl never removed her fury filled eyes from her partner's, stunning them all when she dragged her tongue against Jaune's cake covered cheek, practically moaning from the delicious taste taking over her senses.

He tasted a flavor beyond strawberries.

Releasing him, Ruby swirled the chocolate on her tongue, taunting Weiss. She gulped it down with a satisfied sigh, only now noticing how red Jaune's face was with her lips covered in his frosting. He was like a walking strawberry. Seeing such a reaction filled the girl with power, a power she wanted to wield.

Weiss wanted that power too and gripped Jaune's arm tighter. Determined, they both glared harshly at the other before suddenly licking his body, forgoing their fingers entirely. Who needed those? Not them!

Jaune groaned and threw his head back, will slowly shrinking. Now he was convinced something wasn't right. Why were Ruby and Weiss suddenly doing this? Something had to be wrong? Right?

What other reason could there be?

He had a hard time trying to jumble his thoughts together, under the control of their soft, moist tongues. From the little concentration he managed to muster, Weiss enjoyed his arms, while Ruby tackled his chest. They both firmly gripped his arms, trapping him while they went to work cleaning and eating their fill of his chocolate drenched skin.

He was powerless in their hold.

Or maybe Jaune Arc easily gave into their power?

It was too hard to concentrate with their tongues licking away every ounce of willpower he had. They saw this and grew bolder in their actions.

Weiss groaned, the more chocolate she licked off, the more she found her body heating up like an oven. His chocolate dipped skin had a strange, but tantalizing taste. Some part of her told her to stop, but she couldn't eat enough, neither her nor her partner. She loved tracing her tongue across his firm muscles, especially along the crevices in his arms where a sample of dessert pooled. Ruby preferred running her tongue between the crevices of his abs, making sure to lick slowly and deeply between each pec.

Summoning every ounce of willpower he had left, Jaune narrowed his eyes weakly and tried to control his breathing. He needed to move. Yang would bury him alive if she walked in right now. And knowing his terrible luck, she could walk in any second. Not to say he didn't want this. Oh! He wanted to give in and allow his instincts to guide him, but the idea of Yang beating him to a pulp was more than enough motivation to move. Plus, something just wasn't right.

He'd hate himself in the morning for this.

"S-Stop! You're both acting, ah!" Jaune wheezed. Weiss glared and increased her hold over him when he began to fidget. Couldn't he see she was trying to eat? "I... I need to go. I'm covered in chocolate."

Ruby licked her lips and dipped her finger across his torso. "Don't worry, Jaune, we'll clean you up. It's our fault you got dirty; we're just trying to make up for all the trouble we caused."

Weiss smiled lustily. "So stop fighting and accept your reward. We know you like it. We want you to like it? Right, Ruby?"

"Right! So stop being a fuddy-duddy!"

Weiss traced a finger down his forearm. "Just relax, you're so tense."

They couldn't allow the Arc to leave without knowing how much they appreciated all the hard work he did for them. Jaune deserved his own sweets, which was why he needed to give in and accept the two hot and ready treats serving themselves to him.

Sharing a look, the girls nodded and licked their lips. Time to stop fighting! Now was the time to work together. Maybe he only needed some motivation to eat his fill? Anything to get him to him to release the tension in his body!

Ruby smirked with her gone and pressed her body close to Jaune's, purposely holding his arm against her chest. Creamy, soft hands tickled his chocolaty dipped coating with a round, velvety touch. Then, she slowly moved Jaune's arm to her backside and firmly gripped his wrist. Before he knew what was happening, his palm found itself squeezing—ah—and he thought his flans were firm and bouncy soft. Did Ruby always have such a bouncy butt—no!

Jaune's breath grew heavy, his arms jelly in Ruby's hold. Maybe, if he moved now, he could escape this Fate and stop whatever madness had overtaken his—and now Weiss was shoving his other palm onto her chest. Wow! How did he like those apples indeed?

Distracted, both the girls were licking higher and higher, toward where the cake first collided with Jaune's head. Not that he was complaining, the exact opposite in fact, but why was this happening? He couldn't—Dust! They were licking the chocolate off his neck! One of his hands was squeezing soft, firm flans and the other was picking apples.

Whatever willpower he maintained had flown out the window. With one of his hands busy squeezing perfectly shaped flans and his other gripping firm apples, his fear of Yang was the only thing keeping his thoughts in check, but how long would that last? Each squeeze only made him want to ravage the morsels presented to him. His hunger was becoming unbearable!

Wait! Ruby was stepping away from him! Maybe her sense was coming back—and she was peeling away her layers. The girl showed no hesitation, no remorse, or embarrassment in her process to pull her dress over her body. Things only escalated when the final dish fell to the floor to reveal a morsel of milky, smooth, round, and creamy skin.

He tried not to allow his eyes to wander, but with her need to shake in place, well, he was weak. And—wait! When did Weiss release his arm?

Peering to his side, he found Weiss under the same lack of decency, fixing the Arc with a look of hunger. Her eyes marveled him like a piece of fine-grade meat, appetite great.

Now it was his turn to pull them into his chest.

Ruby and Weiss moaned from his sudden roughness and rubbed their tongues all across his neck and collarbone. Hands drifted to brush his chocolate covered skin, slowly drifting downward. Ruby giggled when he gave a hearty squeeze to her flans, and Weiss whined when he brushed his fingers across the stem of the apples.

Hunger insatiable, Weiss and Ruby pressed their creamy, bare bodies close and hoped the Arc would eat his fill.

Jaune Arc had zero clue his Semblance had enhanced the properties of the chocolate and strawberries. More importantly, he had no knowledge his Semblance targeted the special chemicals known as tryptophan and phenylethylamine, chemicals responsible for stimulation in excitement for humans.

In other words, chocolate and strawberries were known as natural aphrodisiacs, and his Semblance amplified those specific chemicals corresponding to aphrodisiacs. All that hard work was about to pay off.

Upon licking his back, Ruby found a strawberry between Jaune's shoulder blades with Weiss finding another. A mutual understanding passed between the girls and they bit into the fruit. The chocolate relaxed the girls, but the moment they tasted the strawberries, their temperature rose. A lust overtook their senses from the juices of the fruit, empowering the girls with hot-and-bothered bodies. And they only knew one person who knew how to handle soft, delicate, shapely bodies of heat.

The tugging of his arms stopped with the partner's sharing a quick glance, captured by the exotic flavor tickling their taste buds. A silent message passed between them and Jaune wondered if their senses returned, only to be suddenly flung onto Weiss' bed with him lying flat on his back.

 _Oomph_!

Weiss jumped onto his waist, hair down with chocolate and strawberry juice all over her lips. She gave zero warning, no inclination whatsoever, and leaned forward to lick away at his chest. When she felt a hard thing in the shape of a banana poking her butt, she smirked.

"Ruby, I think I just figured out a way to get more sweets." Weiss trailed her tongue across his chocolate flavored torso with a seductive smirk, moaning loudly. She moved one arm back, somewhere around his pockets, and Ruby instantly found what she was referring to. "For all the treats he's given us, I think it's only fair we treat him to something special. What do you say?"

Jaune found his body pinned to Snow Angel's bed with Weiss straddling his body. She was leaning forward, licking his torso with her hands pressing his down. Not like it mattered, they were jelly already. The skin-to-skin contact more than enough shut down his brain.

Ruby giggled, kneeled down, and grabbed his belt buckle. "That sounds only fair."

Wanting to join Ruby, Weiss smirked seductively at the way Jaune's breathing grew heavier with the way his eyes glazed over, and flipped herself on his body, leaning down alongside Ruby. She used her hands to forcefully place Jaune's palms on two, soft, heavenly marshmallows and his willpower finally shattered.

...

Blake Belladonna had developed a sixth by now for Yang's temper tantrums. The closer they neared their room, the more she felt Yang's emotions building. It was scary with how well she knew her partner because before Yang could press her foot to the door, she stopped her by grabbing her shoulder and forced her still.

Without words, she motioned them to remain quiet. They heard Weiss' breathless voice first in the silence of the hallway.

"Oh, what's this? A chocolate covered banana and a big one? What a pleasant surprise. You won't mind if I lick it clean, right, Jaune? I bet there's a thick, creamy center."

"Hey! I want some too! That yummy, cream filling belongs to me!" Ruby sounded just as breathless, probably overtaken by the flavors of Jaune's desserts. "Watch me! I'll suck it out in no time!" A moment later. "Mmmm! The chocolate makes it taste good. It's so thick and warm. I'm having a hard time putting the whole thing in my mouth. I want it to fill me up!"

"Hey! Stopping hogging it all!"

"Oh yeah?" Ruby challenged with her long stroke of the tongue audible from outside. "Make me."

Blake fought the urge to roll her eyes, even now, they were still fighting. Ruby with her not sharing and Weiss in the same boat. It was childish. Sadly, Yang heard something completely different, eyes a burning shade of red. Her fists were cocked, but Blake held Yang back.

"Wait! Before you charge in, remember what happened the last three times."

A calm hushed filled the hallway. Yang's red eyes soon reverted back to normal and her mood eased instantaneously. Blake was absolutely right. She didn't want to make herself a fool for the fourth time. Her baby sister would never let her hear the end of it. Yang didn't think she could stomach through another I told you so.

Still, she cared. "What if I'm right this time?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "You really think they're doing _that_? The three of them? Together? Ruby, Weiss, and Jaune? Yang, be reasonable. The door cannot take much more of you."

Yang huffed and crossed her arms in sad agreement. She fought the urge to barge in with her guns blazing. Make a fool of herself once, shame on them. Make a fool of herself twice, shame on her. Make a fool of herself a third time and she had no one to blame but herself. A fourth time? Heck no! Proving Ruby right a fourth time wasn't what she wanted! Not a chance!

Plus, the more she calmed down, the easier it was to look past. Her sister wasn't that bold. Weiss? Forget about her? Like she'd even try something like that. That just left Jaune. Enough said. Those three might've enjoyed their sweets, but they were prunes in everything else. She had nothing to fear.

"You know?" Weiss groaned from inside the room. "With your thick banana cream, Jaune, I bet we could make some banana bread."

"Yeah!" Ruby chimed, tone heavy. "That sounds fun. What do you say, Jaune? Wanna put a bun in the oven? One for me and one for Weiss?" Jaune sighed breathlessly, will weak. "Hehe! If we don't stop eating it now, Weiss, there won't be any cream left."

A loud gulp was heard from inside the room. "I hate it when you're right, but it's so good!"

Ruby snickered. "You're such a messy eater, Weiss. You got his cream filling all over your face."

"Look who's talking!"

Ruby moaned from the taste. "Well, maybe having seconds wouldn't hurt? Or thirds? Or fourths? And then he could add stuffing to our muffins, too?"

"Of course, you dolt! Now, get over here and help me prep his cream filling. He's going to need our help with this one. We're his new assistants, after all. Remember, our job is to reduce his stress."

Blake rolled her eyes at the mention of the word _banana bread_ , _prep_ , and _assistants_ , and motioned toward the door with a confused Yang.

"See, poor Jaune has his hands full worrying over making them banana bread and adding stuffing to their muffins. And let's be honest, Ruby and Weiss in the kitchen is a disaster waiting to happen. He doesn't need to worry about you trying to kill him on top of that." She grabbed her partner by the shoulder and began leading her away. "Let's go down to the Mess Hall, all this talk about food has got me hungry for a late night snack. It's not like Weiss and Ruby are going to share their sweets. They're very picky when it comes that. We'll just come back in a few hours. That should give Weiss and Ruby enough time to eat, demand more sweets, and Jaune the chance to escape from your wrath and plan his day in the kitchen in peace."

Blake Belladonna was unquestionably right. Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee weren't planning on sharing their chocolate-covered, cream-filled, banana treat anytime soon. And the Arc lacked the strength of will to deny them their sweets any longer. He quietly gave in, surrendered to their moans of pleasure, and squeeze perfectly delectable marshmallows while drinking the sweetest nectar he'd ever experienced. If they wanted their muffins stuffed with his extra-thick, cream filling, then Yang wasn't going to stop them. That went double if Ruby and Weiss wanted him to put a few banana buns in the ovens for them.

Sadly, Yang Xiao Long completely overlooked the fact that Jaune Arc didn't use bananas in the making of his delicious creations.

He said so himself.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Chocolate + Strawberries + Aura Amplification = Nope!


End file.
